Find Jacob, find Jacob, find Jacob…
I hurry down the steps, not wanting to be late for my first shift, but stop at the door to the white room, my curiosity at what lies beneath the white sheets momentarily taking hold of me.Was this Oleander’s room?
I crack open the door, hoping to have a little sneak peak, but my plan is foiled by a varg with his back turned, standing guard at the door to the drawing room. Ever so softly, I shut the door, hoping he did not see me.
Great, they are having me watched.I huff a breath through my nose. Any plans of escape will be near impossible if I can’t get past the vargs.
I turn to the door of the kitchens, pausing to take a breath and steel my nerves.
Ok Nuria, play along. Youwillget out of here but for now, just try and fit in.
I creak open the door to peer around it but am met with a long dark hallway made of stone that slopes down to another door. I rush down there and swing the next door open, thinking there will be more hallways and more doors but am met with a kitchen full of pointy-eared green creatures staring at me.
Kitchen gromlins…
“What is the meaning of this?! Trying to scare us half to death! Come down here!” A stout Gromlin with a bumpy nose, hair tufting out of its ears and a frilly apron yells at me, waving their rolling pin in the air.
With a quick glance around, I notice the kitchen itself is quite large with a long wooden work table in the middle of the room, two stove tops with six burners each and a big wood fired oven.
The room appears to be half underground but there are thankfully two windows high up on the walls in the back of the room as well as steps leading up to a door to the outside. To the left there is another set of steps leading up to a door that perhaps goes to another part of the house. Off to the right there looks to be a store room and beside it a door half slanted into the floor which must be the cold cellar.I guess there are no refrigerators in this realm.
“So sorry, it’s my first day and I didn’t want to be late.” I wince, looking down at the snarling creature.
“Harrumph, well you would do better to not frighten gromlins. You’re lucky it didn’t flip us all over the edge,” she bristles and I wonder what she could mean by that.
“I am Mistress Smudge, also known as Chef, to you. I was only informed this morning that I would be having an addition to my crew so we have a special job for you,” she says and I can hear the other gromlins chuckle, there’s an inside joke I am missing.
“If you would kindly go down into the cellar to peel and thinly slice all of the onions that would be greatly appreciated. Master has a lunch scheduled tomorrow with a lord and his family from a neighbouring estate and all of these onions were gifted to him from their farms. He wishes for three different dishes using them so chop chop, off you go,” she says, smiling and tapping the rolling pin in her palm as she walks away.
“Back to work, the lot of you!” she snaps and the rest of the gromlins scatter to their various duties.
I can cut some onions, no problem,I think as I pry open the cellar door. I am met with an icy blast of air and am shocked at how chilly it is as I walk down into the dark room. There is one candle lit in the far corner but it is enough light to illuminate the mountain of onions piled on the floor.
“You’re joking!” I say out loud and someone slams the cellar door closed behind me.
I hear a muffled call say, “Don’t let the cold air out!” I am left in the dimly lit food dungeon, by myself.
The monotonous task allows my mind to wander and I can’t help but dwell on the betrayal of Oleander. The flow of tears brought on by the onions paves the way for actual tears as I sit in my rage and embarrassment.
How could she? Was the connection we had all in my head? What did she want with Marissa…or I guess, me, anyway? She mentioned The King wanted me for my powers but how could anyone know what I can do? Was my mother an Etherealist?I could drive myself crazy with all the unanswered questions. All I know for now is that I am stuck in this place and doubt I can get any answers while sitting in a cellar.
When I finally emerge, cheeks tear stained and eyes all red from the onion fumes, I notice it is dark outside and there is a delicious smell emanating from the oven. My stomach gurgles as I inhale deeply.
“I never want to see another onion again in my life,” I say, mostly to myself, but the nearest gromlin chuckles from its work station.
“Ah, finally. I want to get started on the onion soup. You may now peel and dice the potatoes. Shoo shoo.” Smudge waves me back down into the cellar and I moan as I turn and trudge down the steps to tackle the pile of potatoes I had noticed earlier.
I am left alone with my intrusive thoughts once again.I’m stuck here… There is no way out… Marissa needs me… Oleander betrayed me… I’m a fool for feeling anything for her.
When I emerge from the cellar, much later, shivering from the prolonged cold, I walk in to see all the gromlins sitting at the big wooden table about to dig into a delicious smelling dinner of what appears to be multiple chicken pot pies. It must be nearlymidnight and I am shocked to see how lively the bunch still seems.
“Come take a seat, you’re just in time for dinner. We are done for the day.” A smiling Gromlin with a pointy nose and big black eyes waves me over to an empty seat.
The kitchen is spotless and there is only one big pot left steaming on the stove. They must have served dinner to the household ages ago. I can’t resist my yawn as I slump down in my seat. A big helping of pot pie is plopped onto my plate and I dig in immediately, savoring the beautiful flakey crust, creamy gravy and soft, comforting root veggies.
The gromlins dig in too but continue to chat away about local gossip from the neighboring estates and the village. I have no ability to focus on anything other than the steaming food in front of me, so all that they are saying is not registered in my very tired brain. When I am starting on my second helping I realize Lillian is not present.
“Does Lillian usually join you for dinner?” I ask the Gromlin next to me.
